Twitch Sets Record for Hours Watched in Q2 2020, Boosted by VALORANT and COVID-19
Riot Games’ latest tactical shooter, VALORANT, along with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has helped Twitch achieve a new milestone for hours watched in Q2 2020, according to a recent report by Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet.
Twitch Achieves Personal Bests for Major Metrics
Twitch, the world’s largest gaming-endemic streaming platform, has recorded personal bests for various metrics in Q2 2020. This includes average viewership, hours watched, unique channels, and hours streamed.
Twitch Dominates the Market
With a staggering 5.07 billion hours watched, Twitch held nearly 68% of the market share, outperforming competitors like Mixer, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming. YouTube emerged as the second most-watched platform, accounting for 20% of the market with 1.5 billion hours watched.
VALORANT Boosts Twitch’s Success
A key factor in Twitch’s success during Q2 was the launch of Riot’s VALORANT. While other platforms had streamers broadcasting gameplay during the closed beta, Twitch’s partnership with Riot, offering closed-beta access to viewers, resulted in a massive surge in viewership and set new records.
VALORANT Achieves Unprecedented Success on Twitch
VALORANT became the most successful game in Twitch history, accumulating 543 million hours watched during the quarter. This surpassed the previous record held by Fortnite in Q2 2018, when Ninja’s collaboration with rapper Drake propelled viewership to 399 million hours watched.
Continued Growth in Online Entertainment
Although the success of VALORANT was not sustained after the Twitch drop event, viewership increased across the board due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept people at home and fueled the growth of online entertainment.
Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming Show Impressive Numbers
In Q2, Facebook Gaming experienced a significant leap in hours watched, tripling its figures from the previous year to reach 822 million hours watched. Despite a slight drop in market share, YouTube Gaming doubled its hours watched.
Mixer Faces Closure
Despite attracting top talents like Ninja and Shroud, Mixer only accounted for 1.4% of the market share with 106 million hours watched. Microsoft has announced the platform’s closure, redirecting content creators to Facebook Gaming. The future destinations of influencers like Ninja and Shroud, however, remain uncertain.
Changes Expected in Q3 Due to Mixer’s Closure
Mixer’s closure is likely to bring about significant changes in the industry during Q3. With Mixer reaching an all-time high of over five million users in Q2, content creators are being encouraged to transition to Facebook Gaming. The future of top influencers like Ninja and Shroud is yet to be determined.